Speaking at a press conference here, Mr. Romanow praised Mr. Topp’s experience as his chief of staff in the 1990s.

“Brian Topp is a person of intellect, principle, and competence, but that’s not the only part of what brings Brian to the top, pardon the pun, of this leadership campaign. He has the right combination of skills, experience, and temperament to bring to this very difficult job of being national leader.”

Mr. Topp was a senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to Mr. Romanow between 1993 and 1999.

Mr. Romanow credited Mr. Topp with fiscal restraint policies after the NDP government in Saskatchewan inherited a massive deficit from the previous Conservative government in 1991.

“Brian understood that we could not achieve our goals if we didn’t first put our financial house in order, Mr. Romanow said. “It was Tommy Douglas who said ‘no social democratic government should allow their finances to be shaped by the banks.”

Mr. Topp, who announced his bid to succeed Jack Layton last week, has also drawn the endorsement of former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, who backed Mr. Layton in the last leadership race in 2003.

“He represents one of the best governing traditions of our party, showing that you can deliver a competent, principled, government that grows the economy, supports vital public services and makes life better for average people.”

Mr. Topp also told the gathering in Saskatoon he has “bones to pick” with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, which include the Keystone XL Alberta-Texas pipeline to export oilsands bitumen to the U.S. Gulf Coast. “What’s going to go into that pipeline is jobs from Western Canada,” he said. “ … That pipeline should not be built.”

As well, Mr. Topp slammed the Tories over their handling of the Canadian Wheat Board plebiscite.

Mr. Harper said Monday the May election, in which the Conservatives party won a majority of Western Canada’s rural seats, trumps a “so-called plebiscite” of farmers suggesting strong opposition to the government’s plan to terminate the wheat board’s monopoly on wheat and barley sales.

Ending the monopoly, which would allow western farmers to market their own products, is a long-standing Conservative cause that goes back to the early days of the old Reform party.

“When farmer and producers vote to keep the wheat board … you should listen to them and respect what they say,” Mr. Topp said.

Mr. Topp, who’s from Montreal and speaks French fluently, would not say where in Canada he would seek a federal seat in Parliament if he wins.

“I’ll have to address it at the time if I become leader and do some appropriate set of steps to get in the House as soon as I can,” he said.

Mr. Topp’s only competition for the job, to date, is Quebec NDP MP Romeo Saganash — who declared his candidacy last week.

Montreal MP Thomas Mulcair says he still needs a few weeks to decide if he will run.